


Horizon

by VVSmydiamonds



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Flowers, Gen, Gun Violence, Hostage Situations, Human Trafficking, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Open to Interpretation, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Russian Roulette, Seonghwa just wants to keep his brothers safe, Trauma, but with a twist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:08:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22887592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VVSmydiamonds/pseuds/VVSmydiamonds
Summary: even as the sun peeks over the horizon, he can't bring himself to rejoice at the new day."what have i become...";; ateez hostage au please don't come @ me
Relationships: Park Seonghwa/Everyone
Comments: 15
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

The moment Seonghwa wakes up, he knows something is not right. 

The air he breathes is thick and stagnant, and his body seems to... ache? Being a dancer for a living, aches and pains are a given, but this isn't a usual cramping muscle. He reaches up to massage a sore spot along his scalp, but his hands won't budge. A thick cord is tied so tightly around his wrists that he can feel his circulation being cut off. The backrest of the wooden chair digs into his arms while his hands are uncomfortably suspended behind his back.

Seonghwa takes a deep breath and glances around with wide eyes. Little specks of light filter in through what he assumes to be a draw-bag over his head. He attempts to swing his feet up, the chair he is bound to groaning under his weight.

The male sits there, frozen and silent. He struggles more and more to keep his breathing in check as the weight of the situation begins to settle in. 

He has been kidnapped. 

He had been taken from his dorm and is being held in captivity. 

Seonghwa feels a sharp pounding against his skull as he overthinks the situation. He closes his eyes and allows his head to loll off to the side, ready to fall back asleep, but it does not reach his shoulder. The male stops. Seonghwa hears a whimper so faint, he thinks his mind is playing tricks on him. But that whimper... It is so familiar.

"Wooyoung?" he whispers, facing the direction he believes the cry came from. "Woo, was that you?"

"Seonghwa?" a choked voice asks in response.

"Yes, it's me. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He does his best to keep his voice low, but he finds it difficult. His brother is there, and maybe there are more of them here. But right now, Wooyoung is awake.

"I..." There's a pause. "My throat hurts. H-Hwa," he coughs, then continues, "there's something... tight. It hurts..."

"It's okay, it's okay," Seonghwa says, taking a deep breath. He can't tell if he's saying it to Wooyoung or himself, though. "Don't talk, we'll find a way out of here."

"Some of you will," a new gruff voice speaks, followed by heavy footsteps and the sound of loose objects rattling around the base of a box. "But for now, let's wake everyone up, shall we?" 

It's silent for a moment too long. Before Seonghwa can speak up, he hears a muffled cry echo throughout the room they're in. He winces and clenches his teeth, never wanting to hear that noise again. It sounded like Jongho, which makes Seonghwa's blood boil. 

The footsteps come closer and pass him to the left. Soon, another yelp rips through the air. Only this time, it's much more pained. It has a longer and a higher tone than the previous one. Seonghwa almost can't pinpoint whose it was until he hears a whimper follow shortly: Yunho.

Nobody dares to speak. The only one who would in a situation like this is still asleep - at least, Seonghwa hopes he is. Their leader, Hongjoong, would defend his family tooth and nail against anyone. But now that he is out cold, Seonghwa has to do it now.

"What do you want with us?" Seonghwa asks. It's dead quiet for a moment before he feels the bag harshly ripped off his head. He squints at the bright light, tucking his face in his shoulder as he tries to regain his composure.

When the initial shock clears, he takes in his surroundings. Based on the films he has seen, he concludes that he's in a warehouse - an abandoned one, of that sort. The overhead light fixtures hang low from loose cables that sway with the spine-chilling draft. The floor was made of concrete slabs and covered in various stains, most of them being black and red. Seonghwa doesn't want to find out the cause, nor be the reason there's another spot.

"You're awfully eager, aren't you?"

Seonghwa looks at the male and feels his blood run cold. The man himself isn't the scary part. It's the fact that he and his younger brothers - _his family_ \- are trapped there at the stranger's mercy.

The man takes a bag off of Mingi's head, discarding it over his shoulder. The man raises a hand and a loud slap! resonates throughout the room. Mingi's unconscious form slumps to the side. His chair creaked and rocked onto two legs, nearly teetering off onto its side from the impact. The rapper almost meets the floor for possibly the second time that night.

_Or is it early day?_

Seonghwa scowls, gulping and chewing his lip to keep himself from speaking. He doesn't want to get anyone in trouble, so he concludes that he'll speak only when spoken to or when a brother cannot.

He looks to the right, examining his band mates. Hongjoong is placed on the far right, still covered in a gross bag and his hands tied taut behind his back. Hongjoong's head hung forward as he slept, with his chin pressing against his chest.

Jongho, poor kid, is seated next to Hongjoong and scared out of his wits. His eyes are wide with pure terror and his breathing is erratic. He is gagged with what looks like an oil rag haphazardly tied around his head. 

Then there is Mingi, with his eyes still closed and chest gradually rising and falling. If not for the angry red mark forming along his left cheek, he appears out of place. He looks like he belongs in bed, tucked in his cozy blankets. 

The thought makes Seonghwa fume. It isn't fair that his innocent brothers were captured and brought to this heinous place. He clenches his fists, gritting his teeth, as he checks on Wooyoung.

Wooyoung is held the same basic way as everybody else, except he has a pole attached to the backrest. A cable of some sort - quite possibly a phone charger - is tied around his throat, cutting off his airflow and keeping him quiet. The pole, however, was used to keep his neck erect. 

Seonghwa looks to the left and sees Yunho. 

"Oh, God," escapes Seonghwa's lips before he can stop himself. 

Yunho - their gentle, pure Yunho - was the only one bleeding. The crimson liquid trickles down his forehead and right temple, some of it leaking into his eye and mixing with his tears. His lips quivers uncontrollably as his body as a whole trembles with fright. Their sunshine is hidden behind dark clouds of hurt, and Seonghwa feels a seed of doubt sprout in the back of his head.

_We're not going to make it._

He listens as Yunho shakily inhales and sniffles. Seonghwa so badly wants to give the younger a tissue and run a hand through his brown curls, all while telling him he's going to be okay. He wants to give his younger brothers the world to compensate for their suffering. Any day, Seonghwa would take their pain if it meant they were safe and happy. 

_They are his family._

Seonghwa nearly jumps out of his skin when an agonized shriek pierces his eardrums.

_San._

_Yeosang._

_Where the hell are they?_

Seonghwa's stomach lurches with guilt, making him want to keel over and vomit. How could he have forgotten two of his own brothers?

He looks to the man, only to find him grinning with a sadistic glint in his eyes. His whole presence emanates pure evil - the way he woke them up, the mysterious box, his neck twitches, the way he fidgets with his large fingers. None of it was good.

"What are you doing to them?" Seonghwa demands, his voice unwavering. It surprises himself how he spoke, but he doesn't let it get to his head and distract him.

"What's happening to them?" the man repeats in question. He chuckles, then makes his way back over to the cardboard box. "They are the least of your worries."

Seonghwa watches intensely as the stranger reaches in and starts to fiddle with the objects. There's various clicking noises and the material seems to be metal.

And, confirming his suspicions, he whips out a gun.

Jongho visibly flinched, his usual mature self vanishing for good. He sits as far back in his chair as he can, trying to create as much distance between the weapon and himself. 

Seonghwa just wants to hug him and console him. Jongho doesn't deserve this. Hell, none of his brothers do. But he will do whatever he can to let them live.

His thoughts are quickly interrupted when the man begins to load the gun.

The stranger has five bullets in hand, displaying each piece of metal. They are a dull, gold metal with red-tinted tips. He loads them into the revolver, then spins the cylinder around a few times. 

"I'm supposed to make a choice," he hums, cocking the gun and holding it up to his eye. "I need to choose one of you, but I'm at a bit of a loss."

Seonghwa purses his lips, his eyes fixated on the black revolver. His heart pounds on his chest when the barrel is pointed even remotely at one of his brothers. He refuses to sit there, useless and pathetic, while he watches his family die - he won't allow it.

The man sighs and rests the gun back in the box. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and faces the young men seated in front of him. 

"I'm supposed to find the most visually appealing out of the rest of you. Your two buddies back there," his shoulder knudges in the area behind them, "are having quite the time waiting for one of you. So," he smiles, rubbing his hands together, "Any volunteers?"

Everyone is dead silent. The only noise that can be heard is the wind blow through the various cracks in the windows.

"Ooh, not all at once." He makes his way over to Hongjoong and lifts his head up by his hair. The man examines his face before abruptly letting go, allowing Hongjoong's head to fall back to where it once was. He snarls, stepping back to the box.

"Visually, the rest of you are average amongst each other; especially that one over there," he speaks, gesturing to Mingi, who was still very much asleep. "Let's wait for the others to wake up, shall we?"

He walks off to an area behind them. Seonghwa cranes his neck to see exactly where he goes, but he doesn't make it very far. He grumbles, then looks at his brothers. Their expressions all say the same thing, creating a pang in the oldest's chest.

_Only one of us will make it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ==/=
> 
> A/N: skrrt skrrt guess who's posting again! So sorry for disappearing lol whoops but I'm back!! I have 35 drafts and I'm so excited to publish most of them this year! It's literally 12:58 a.m. and I didn't get my homework done because I wanted to get this posted! What do you guys think? Is it suspenseful? Do you want to keep reading? What do you think will happen to ATEEZ? Do you think everyone will make it? 👀 These are legitimate questions and feedback means so much to me!
> 
> Either way, thanks for reading! Have a great day/night! 💕


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol what?? An update?? :O
> 
> Happy reading, I hope you like it! 💜

_Only one of us will make it..._

Seonghwa wakes with a start, his grogginess fading in an instant. When had he fallen asleep?

He glances left and right to check and make sure his brothers are okay. Yunho has fallen asleep, but now Mingi is awake. 

"Mingi," he whispers, leaning to the right. "Mingi, look at Seonghwa."

"Hwa?" the younger asks, his head swiveling as he surveys the area. "Where are we? Is this some sort of joke?"

Seonghwa chews his bottom lip and realizes Mingi was probably searching for a hidden camera. 

"We're just as confused as you are..."

"Wait, so it's not a prank?" Mingi faces the older male with wide eyes, unable to believe what Seonghwa said. "You've got to be lying. Look, there's a dark object jutting out of the wall, it's not--"

"Mingi, shut up!" Jongho growls, facing him. The youngest's eyes are bloodshot; his eyelids, swollen. "This... this is real."

"What? No, it can't be," Mingi says, though it sounds more directed to himself. "Right? Hwa?"

Seonghwa shivers under his scrutiny, wanting nothing more than to curl in a hole instead of face Mingi's questioning. How could he break such news to him? He's denying every bit of it.

The ebony-haired male shakes his head, unable to meet the younger's gaze.

"This isn't a trick."

There is silence for a moment, then the sound of struggling fills the room. Mingi is tugging at the ropes that bind his wrists to the chair he's seated on. He kicks upwardly, making his chair scrape forward with each powerful jolt.

Everyone else stays still. As Seonghwa examines the legs of their chairs, they're no longer in a single-file line. The only ones that remain in their original place are Wooyoung and Hongjoong - the two who had not tried to escape.

"Mingi, stop," Seonghwa speaks, finally glimpsing at the rapper. "Mingi--"

"Seonghwa!" The larger male halts all movements, the feeling of frustration overwhelming him as the weight of the situation settles in. "You can't be serious. This has to be a joke. What if--"

"Mingi--"

"Where's Yeosang? And San? Did they have something to do wit--"

"Shut up!" Jongho screams, as hot tears drip down his red cheeks. His voice softens and initial anger disappears. "We're not going to make it out of here."

Seonghwa frowns. He wants to rest a hand on Mingi's shoulder and tell him anything but what's happening. Mingi doesn't deserve to be here in the slightest. He doesn't deserve to suffer.

"Mingi," the oldest calmly starts, looking into his eyes. They are glassy and brimming with tears, ready to overflow at any given moment. His cheeks are a vibrant pink, one sporting a dark handprint. "It's going to be o--"

"Oh, my God," Jongho speaks up, his tone unfamiliar to Seonghwa. The oldest isn't used to being snapped at; especially by Jongho. "Why do you keep telling us everything is going to be okay when it's clearly not? Are you crazy? Do you even realize what's going on?"

"Jongho, don't talk to me that way. We're all confused here, let's just be calm."

"No." Jongho glares at him and rocks in his chair until it faces Seonghwa. He parks himself and grits his teeth, exuding pure rage. "No, Seonghwa. We can't be calm. Weren't you listening? He said only one of us will live, if what he even said holds true."

"Only one?" Mingi peers over to the oldest. His eyes glimmer under the low lamp, exposing his unshed tears. "Hwa, are we... are we really going to die?"

Seonghwa gulps. He can't lie to Mingi, but he also can't bring himself to admit the truth. They are going to die and that was that. San and Yeosang have been quiet for a long time now, so maybe their torment is over. For good.

"No." Seonghwa takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment. "We'll make it out, we just... we just need a plan."

"A plan? What good is a plan when we can't even move?" Jongho's scowl deepens with each word.

"I don't know, let me think," Seonghwa replies, lowering his gaze to his knees. He wiggles his hips when a thought crosses his mind. "Jongho, you're good at maneuvering in your chair, aren't you?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Ignoring his attitude, Seonghwa continues, "Can you get over to the box?"

"The box?" Mingi asks, his voice wavering at the end. "Do you know what's in it?"

"Just a gun for now," Seonghwa speaks. "If we're lucky, there might be a knife in there."

But now that he thinks about it, finding a knife would be terrifying. What would their captors do with it?

Seonghwa cranes his neck to check behind them, but he doesn't see much. All he can see is darkness less than three meters behind him. He can only trust that nothing is lurking in there at this moment.

"Why should I do it? Are you going to frame me? Huh? You're going to get rid of me first?" Jongho presses, an ugly snarl contorting his chapped lips. He tilts his head in Mingi's direction, gesturing to the rapper. "Why can't he do it, huh? He's closer."

"Because I asked you, you dipshit! Oh, my God, what is your problem?" Seonghwa seethes, finally losing his patience. "What do you want me to tell you? I have no fucking idea what we're doing here. Yes, you're stressed, I'm stressed, we're all stressed! But don't take it out on me, you brat."

"Oh, so I'm the brat now?" the youngest spits, grinding his jaws together. "At least I'm not all talk and ordering people around because I don't wanna get caught. Because your life is just that damn important."

"Oh, now you've done it." Seonghwa leans to one side of his chair, then twists so he can turn himself to face Jongho. He makes his way forward in the same fashion as the younger until he can see the light reflect in his eyes. That is when he stops. "You and me, punk. One on--"

"Stop fighting!" Mingi cries out, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his fists aggravation. "We're nowhere closer to getting out of here, and if you two are going to be this way, then we'll never see the light of day again."

Seonghwa takes a deep breath and averts his gaze from the younger. He feels his racing heart begin to slow in his chest, along with his breathing. The tips of his ears burn red, yet his fingertips are icy. 

"Hwa..." the rapper starts, an audible frown in his tone. "I expected more from you."

The addressed male's eyes flick toward Mingi for a fleeting moment before fixating back on a rust-colored stain. The handprint serves as a reminder that their captors don't care. They have to get out or they will die.

"This is what they want," Jongho whispers. Two heads whirl around to gawk at him before he glances up and resumes speaking. "We'll get to the point where we'll break. We'll be waiting for our brothers to die. I... I don't want that to happen."

"I don't either."

Jongho directs his gaze to the oldest male. He nods and drops line of sight to the ground. "I'm sorry, Seonghwa."

"I'm sorry, too," he confesses. "We need to work together. We'll make it out of here one way or another. I promise."

They nod in agreement and Jongho begins to pivot toward his goal. Seonghwa uses this time to check on Wooyoung. The smaller male is breathing as best as he can and struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Wooyoung, are you okay?" Seonghwa whispers, unsure of why he did, though. It isn't some sort of secret that Wooyoung is still there or that he just had a screaming match with their maknae. "I'm sorry you had to watch us fight like that, it's not fair to you."

"It's over and... done. I'm... I don't know," he replies, his eyes flicking over to Seonghwa.

"What's the matter?" The oldest inches closer to him and does his best to examine his younger brother.

"I... Every time I'm about to fall asleep," he pauses, trying to take a deep breath, "my throat, the cable... I stop breathing. It wakes me up."

Seonghwa chews his upper lip, his saliva stinging the raw skin. His brows draw closer together, creating a large crease along his forehead. He nods, listening intently, before replying, "I will get you out of here, Wooyoung. I'm sorry I can't do it soon enough."

If Wooyoung possessed the ability to shake his head, he would have. The older can tell he doesn't want him to worry about him. Seonghwa's thoughts are proven when the blond whispers a small, "I'll be fine. You... keep doing what you... need to do."

He nods again, then checks behind them. The stranger still hasn't returned, which seems odd to Seonghwa. What could he possibly be doing?

A muffled clatter snaps him out of his thoughts. He faces Jongho's direction and immediately sees the younger scramble back. His eyes are blown wide as he frantically surveys the room, making eye contact with Seonghwa.

The box lies on the floor, tipped over onto its side. The black revolver nearly clattered out from the impact, but thankfully for them, it remains still at the edge of a worn-out flap. No one dares to look away from the blunder.

Seonghwa takes a deep breath and doesn't realize he holds it until his lungs begin to ache. His bottom lip is raw by now, displaying an unusually bright red tint. He closes his eyes for a moment to ease his headache so he can focus.

"Jongho!" Mingi whispers, his voice distressed and short, raising in pitch at the end. He gestures with his head back to the row they had been alined in and continues, "Get back over here. You're going to get caught!"

"Getting caught?" a baleful voice speaks up. Seonghwa's eyes dart around the large room, looking everywhere for the stranger. His voice echoes through the room in such a way, it sounds like he's directly above them. "You are very entertaining."

The sound of metal scraping against metal pierces Seonghwa's ears, making him cringe and attempt to curl in on himself. His shoulders raise, causing the ropes around his wrists to dig further into his skin. Seonghwa tries to tuck his head away to escape the noise, but he has nowhere to go. 

Breath catching in his throat, he sees Mingi and Jongho reacting the same way. To his left, Yunho wakes up and soon, nearly all of them are struggling to get away from the din.

It stops shortly. The noise disappears and Seonghwa is left with a racing heart and a sharp ringing in his ears. With his head in a daze and his blood pressure rising, he glances around the area. Jongho's mouth hangs agape and his eyes are glassy and unfocused. Mingi is in a similar state, only his head is lying against his shoulder to ground himself.

"Wow, what a group. You come off as tough, but when you're here... You've got nothing."

Seonghwa faces forward and sees the man from earlier standing there. The overhead light dangles over him like it's his own spotlight, and he is ready to give his captives a show. He wears no hat, but his face is adorned in a black face mask. If anything, his attire reminds Seonghwa of _Hala Hala_ , only there is no bling--nothing to catch the light; nothing for people to see.

"I think you have been waiting long enough now," he soothes, his voice now mellifluous instead of its characteristically gruff self. It is almost as if he has been replaced, but it couldn't have been true. His eyes remained the same intense, rat-like eyes from before.

The man examines them, stopping at Jongho and frowning. He approaches behind him and grips the backrest of his chair, leaning the younger male in his direction until the chair stands on two legs.

"You moved. How come?"

Jongho keeps his gaze low as he fumbles over his words. Seonghwa feels his scalp tingle with agitation as he watches the youngest begin to tremble. He regrets wasting time and fighting with him, but there's still time. As long as everyone is still alive, the chance of escaping still remains.

At least... he _hopes_ there's a chance. 

Hope is the only thing that can keep him going right now. 

The man drags Jongho back into the line, letting go abruptly enough to make his chair wobble. He walks over to the cardboard box and sets it on the table with a sigh. "You guys just _have_ to make it difficult, don't you?"

Seonghwa peers upward and freezes. The man stares directly at him, chin tilted downward and unmoving. The bottom edges of his eye whites are showing; his irises seemingly tucked under his dark brows. The captive involuntarily squirms under his harsh glare, causing an evil glint to show in the latter's eyes.

"I suppose your buddy won't be awake for the game, but that's okay. He can still play when he's asleep."

"What are you going to do?" Mingi speaks up, then shrinks when the man turns his attention to him.

"Oh, you're awake," he hums, "how nice. I'm glad you asked, Mr. Song."

"How do you know my name?" Mingi questions, his eyes widening. Seonghwa can't bear to watch as the man closes his eyes to conceal a heavy eye-roll.

"Have you forgotten you're a celebrity?"

Seonghwa has never seen Mingi blush this hard. The poor boy is a deep, cherry-red and can't meet anyone's gaze--Seonghwa swears he can see a faint mist around Mingi, too. He stares silently at the ground, and the man waves him off.

"Enough delays. Let's get started with our game now. We'll start with the leader, how about that?"

Seonghwa opens his mouth to protest, but immediately shuts up when the man puts the revolver out of the box. The metal shimmers under the light, reflecting hot white flashes as the nameless man fiddles with it.

"Who here has heard of Russian Roulette? And no, this is not that pop song you people seem to adore." The man's eyes flick between each person. He starts with Yunho, then makes his way down the line with his probing gaze. The man begins to pace in front of them, walking over to Jongho before turning and walking to Seonghwa. "This is going to be different."

Jongho visibly gulps when the man's back is toward him. Seonghwa watches as he takes a deep breath to keep his cool and control his feelings. It hurts his heart to watch him do that, but why can't he stand up for them? Why is he holding back?

The man opens the cylinder of the gun and displays the five bullets he had inserted earlier. "You guys are smart--except for Song over here. What do you think I will be doing with these?"

There is a lingering silence. Nobody dares to speak. The man seems to have froze, for he hasn't moved a muscle since opening the gun. Finally, Seonghwa gives in.

"You will shoot us."

The corners of the man's eyes crinkle upward into a twisted sort of grin. "Bingo. But, there are six of you. Hwaseong, was it? You seem bright. What happens if I use all five?"

Seonghwa feels the tips of his ears burn redder than Mingi's face. He clenches his jaw to bite back the growl that wanted to slip past his tongue. "One... one of us will make it."

"Perfect!" the man exclaims. He pushes the cylinder back into place and twirls it around a few times. He stops the spinning and cocks the gun, now using two hands to hold it as he readies it.

Seonghwa jumps in his chair, his newfound voice yelling at the man to stop. His outburst of energy startles the others, but they don't hold back their cries once they start. 

Soon, their shouting fills the entire room. Some are yelling at the man to tell him to stop. Some are yelling at Hongjoong to wake up. Some are yelling soley to produce more noise. 

But when the sound of the first bullet resonates through the room, everything comes to a standstill. 

That is when Seonghwa screams the loudest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol what 
> 
> You guys ready for the next chapter? How was this one? Was it okay? Your comments make my day, so don't be shy!


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